Chapter 14: Allies

Another restless night.

Being back home, being surrounded by the sights and sounds of her childhood should have been relaxing for Avaryss.

They were not.

The dark lord spent another night without any real sleep, every time she closed her eyes nightmares were waiting for her. Horrors, both new and old, awaited in her night time world. Her mother's words, the soft strains of an old lullaby, Sadi's wide welcoming grin, the fires and explosions of the assassination attempt, all seemed to rise up, twist, and turn into one long vision of pain and what ifs.

Avaryss rose from her bed with an angry hiss. It was not the first time that she had been to endure such evening. As she had always done, she sat on the floor beside her bed, closed her eyes, controlled her breathing and meditated. She focused both on her enemies and what she would need to bring them to heel. She thought of the many slights she had suffered, and who would need to answer for them when the time was right…

But above all else, she focused on her hatred, on the things that held her back, the rivals that remained out of reach of her judgment and vengeance. As always, Darth Feer was in the center of that intricate web. She had been his apprentice for more than half a decade now, and in that time her rage and anger had not dissipated.

She imagined the day they finally faced each other, the day that she finally ended this twisted dance that they now found themselves trapped within.

She had imagined herself killing Lord Feer many times, in ways as different as they were painful and degrading, and still…whatever she thought of, whatever fresh torment she dreamed up still seemed to be nothing compared to what she had suffered at her master's hands.

Death was almost too good for him, especially considering what he had done to her home.

What he had done to Oridanna.

It was another death mark in a very long ledger between the two of them.

She longed to see it settled.

Keera remained blissfully silent during her meditations, it seemed that what she had once been was willing to obey the terms that they agreed to. She could still sense that side of herself watching quietly. It reminded her quite a bit of the light side shard that still burned so brightly in her breast.

I wield great power, Avaryss thought, both over the Force, and others, but at the same time, mastering myself remains a power out of my reach.

She frowned.

One day it will be the death of me, she thought.

One day it will be my undoing.

She no longer tried to undo the light within her; she had come to think it was now impossible. The light within her was tied to her relationship with Fenn, she was sure of it now.

As long as he remained alive, and in her heart, she would never be totally rid of it.

Then you need to work harder to bring him into the fold, the darkness whispered.

You cannot go on like this forever.

She acknowledged that fact, but at the same time, she did not see how to do it.

How to bring Fenn into her orbit without sacrificing his desire for her? How was she to do it?

His loyalty to the Jedi and the light remained strong. Despite his feelings for her, he would not betray his friends and allies so easily.

'Maybe you need to find a common goal, Keera offered, a common enemy that both you and Fenn can agree needs to be stopped.

Avaryss nodded.

It had worked with Terrog after all. She and Fenn had fought on the same side during their war against him.

The trick would be to get him alone and in a situation where his vaunted Jedi teachings could not protect him. He needed to face a threat that offered true fear. He needed to be in a situation where the light was simply not good enough.

She would have to find a way to expand on the anger she had felt inside him. She needed to find an outlet so that he could give into it.

It was not an easy challenge, but the Force willing, she would find a way.

I thought we were not going to focus on Fenn right now, Keera reminded her, I thought that Oridanna needed us more.

Avaryss sighed.

Keera was right, for once.

It was their home that needed her right now.

She continued to look deeper into the darkness, searching for answers, trying to come up with a plan of how best to succeed. Oridanna was a battlefield unlike any that she had walked on before. She could not simply win the day by swinging her lightsaber or casting a spell.

The grand war of politics was something else, she understood the game, thanks to Darth Marr and the rest of their cabal, but that did not mean that she enjoyed playing.

You need to find someone who does, the darkness offered, you need a skilled politician on your side, one who is both loyal to Oridanna and the Empire, and at the same time ambitious.

Thanks to Darth Sadi, she had two candidates in mind.

She would need to approach them both.

It was still two hours before dawn when she finally emerged from her chambers. She had bathed and changed and made her way down the hall of tower floor that now served as her home and base. She was once again confronted by how small her contingent of guards had become. She could have contacted the Emperor's Wisdom, Captain Kannady would send more troops if she asked. However, Bleez could not guarantee the loyalty of such reinforcements. The hundred men that the Warmaster had trained had been vetted, their loyalty to their master reinforced.

Avaryss was not very confident about bringing in more troops, especially ones that might be more loyal to her master than they were to her.

No reinforcements from the Wisdom were out of the question, for now, but perhaps that was not entirely a bad thing.

Fewer men meant that there were fewer chances for a leak. It would make it easier to keep her secrets…well…secret.

Still, she could not proceed alone, she needed allies here on Oridanna if she was to complete her mission, and that meant recruiting.

Once again, she could not do that alone.

Sadi would no doubt be watching her, who she talked to, where she went. She would need to trust others to go where she could not, see people that she did not wish Sadi to know she was associating with.

It was for that reason that she made her way to her brother's quarters.

Sadi did not know her relationship to Beric; at least Avaryss did not believe so. His service record only gave his operating number, which was unusual, but not unheard of. Most soldiers had a past; some chose the army to escape it.

If anyone wondered, Beric was simply one of those, and if they did any digging the truth would support that. As long as they did not dig too deeply, the relationship between her and her brother was safe, for the moment anyway.

Avaryss was grateful for that.

She knocked on his door, and was met at the entrance. Her brother, already dressed in his trousers and white tank top, had always been an early riser after all. His hair was still wet and his face clean shaven.

He let her into the room without a word. She rarely visited him these days if it was not about business.

"Sister," he said nodding.

"Is there something you need?"

"We must speak, brother. I have need…"

"Is someone here, Ric?"

Avaryss frowned when she heard Xen's voice emerge from the still running shower. Her brother blushed and looked down like a guilty child. It seemed that her apprentice had spent the night here

Avaryss held back the urge to roll her eyes.

Damn it, had she not warned him?

Did he choose to simply not listen?!

She said nothing more about it, because she had already discussed the matter with both of them, and they both knew what was at stake.

"It is Lord Avaryss," she called out in answer, "I'm here to speak with Beric."

There was no response except for the turning off of the water. Xen emerged a few moments later, wrapped in a black cloth bath robe.

"My lord," she said bowing.

Avaryss nodded, and quickly turned her attention to Beric. Xen retreated into her brother's bedroom, stopping every few seconds to pick up a piece of clothing.

Avaryss said nothing about it, about the trails of clothes leading to the bed.

Her brother was a grown man.

He did not need his little sister embarrassing him.

Besides, they had much to talk about. Allot had happened in the last twenty hours.

She wanted to bring him up fully to speed.

She and her brother sat down talked about what had happened the night before. Darth Sadi's invitation, what had become of Bael Feer, and her escape from the Dark Lord's chambers.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not going to surrender all my worldly goods to Darth Sadi if that what you are wondering," she said dryly, "Though I cannot deny, the dark lord is most…charismatic. She might even be an expert in Force persuasion."

Her brother's mouth became a grim line.

"When you say persuasion you mean control, don't you?"

More or less."

Beric nodded.

"Thought as much," he muttered.

Her brother did not seem surprised when Avaryss mentioned that Sadi seemed to have some kind of…influence over people.

"I got an impression of that last night," he informed her, "When you live around soldiers you get used to them complaining about the higher ups, at least when they know that no one is listening.

"I take it you heard no criticism of Darth Sadi or her methods?"

"No criticism," he answered, shaking his head, "All I heard was praise, from what I gathered from the troopers stationed here Sadi is one of the best administrators Oridanna has ever seen. Not a single complaint was heard."

Beric shrugged.

"That is unusual, especially in the Sith military.

Avaryss eyes narrowed.

Interesting, how did Sadi inspire such loyalty.

She had assumed that she had been drugged the night before. She might have been, but what Beric was suggesting was something more.

Did Sadi have some kind of natural charisma through the Force? It was possible. Such powers were not unheard of, but they were rare, and could be quite taxing, both physically and mentally, on the wielder. Now all she had to do was determine its range, and how effective it was.

"Keep listening," she ordered him, "Listen for any voices of dissent and let me know who and where they are stationed.

Beric shuddered; he did not like the idea of talking out of turn about a fellow trooper, one that might be harmed because of it.

"I'm not going to report them to Sadi," she promised, "I need to see how far her control has spread here in the capital, it might give me an idea how best to proceed, so that my own plans don't trip over hers.

Her brother nodded, he still did not seem very sure, but he had not refused her order either.

Not that he would, but it was good that he accepted what she had said, on some level anyway.

"We should probably watch the others as well," he suggested, "If this dark lord does have some kind of fancy mind control ability, we should make sure that she is not working on our people. We likely have enough spies around us as is."

Avaryss nodded. A wise precaution, she thought, she did not like to think that any of her people would betray her, but…

What if they had no choice?

She remembered the changes in Bael.

What if that was just the smallest example of what the other woman could do.

They needed to be cautious.

Xen finally emerged from the bedroom, armed and armored. She gave her master a sly smile.

"Why don't we just kill the witch and be done with it?" she asked her low sultry voice.

Avaryss shook her head.

"Darth Feer would not approve of such an action, plus it would likely only inspire the growing rebellion here. If the Sith openly start fighting amongst ourselves…"

"So how do we precede then," Beric asked, "We cannot just pretend that nothing is going on."

"We won't," she promised, "But we need to move slowly and carefully."

Avaryss smiled and turned to Beric.

"I will need you to speak with the Pho Ambassador, get an idea of where he stands both on the Rebellion and the current state of rule in the Itae system."

"Would he talk to me," Beric asked, "An Imperial soldier?"

"He will if he knows you are a local, if you have a stake in seeing your homeworld protected."

The Dark Lord smirked.

"For once you should try and drop any attempt at keeping a Dromund Kaas accent. We want people to know that we are locals, it might go a long way in winning local trust."

Xen laughed lightly.

"You might also want to consider not wearing the mask and helmet so much my lord," she offered, "If your parents were as important as Beric claims, you might win allies by simply being associated with them. Showing your face might go a long way in winning friends."

Avaryss considered that.

No, she was not quite ready to do that yet, and besides, it was unlikely that anyone would recognize her, what with the changes the dark side had made to her features.

I think you are selling yourself short, Keera said, have you really looked in the mirror lately, truly looked. The dark side has not ravaged your face and body as much as you fear. Your skin is no longer so pale, and some might find those dark purple eyes of yours…inviting.

Keera laughed lightly.

We are neither a ghoul nor a tom boy anymore. We are actually quite pretty.

We should use that to our advantage.

Avaryss frowned.

She was still not sure.

Coward, Keera chuckled.

Shut up, Avaryss thought morosely.

You are not helping.

Avaryss turned to Xen.

We will collect Dym, and when the Enforcers arrive, we will meet with them, see if Sadi wields any direct control over them.

"And if she does?" her apprentice asked.

Avaryss sneered.

Then a few accidents will need to be arranged. I will not suffer spies to remain so close to me, especially spies with power."

Xen nodded.

"I was hoping you would say that," she purred, "It has been some time that I've gotten a chance to kill my fellow Sith."

Avaryss was not shocked when she heard that,

Xen had only joined her for the chance to kill Sith that had harmed her friends during the sack of the Jedi temple. Most of those Sith were dead now, destroyed by their own machinations, but Xen's hatred remained.

Avaryss was willing to feed that anger, especially if it kept her loyal.

The three of them rose from their chairs and began to tend to the days business. Beric whispered to his paramour to be careful, and gave her a soft chaste kiss on the lips.

Avaryss turned away quickly, a spike of both jealousy and loneliness rising in her breast.

I'm a lord of the Sith, and yet I find myself standing alone. I could have any man I desire, but the one that I truly want is lost to me.

It is so unfair!

Try not think about it, Keera soothed.

Our time will come, she promised.

Avaryss sighed.

Yes, she thought.

Our time will come.

IOI

After a quick meal Avaryss spent the next few hours working with her apprentices. Dym and Xen spared with both her and each other in the tower's training room. It was nothing special, until recently Sith Lords had not spent a lot of time here, but for their needs it was adequate.

The Muun was quickly proving himself to be a cunning fighter. His tall but slender frame contributed well to his use of Ataru. He moved with both impressive speed and an aggression that Avaryss found refreshing. Xen could be aggressive when she needed to be, but it was not her default setting.

Despite her use of the cross guarded lightsaber, or executioner's blade, she had a tendency to fight on the defensive, to let her enemies come to her.

It was a style more fitting of a Jedi, but that was not unexpected, after all Xen Loor had begun her Force training among the ranks of the Jedi.

Your style is not the most aggressive either, Keera reminded her.

Avaryss sniffed.

That was different.

Avaryss' style, the use of Soresu was to compensate for her lack of size and strength. Her Makashi, or duelist style was very aggressive, she simply needed to set her targets up before going in for the kill.

Her style had to with strategy, not a lack of aggression.

When she and Dym sparred for the first time, she did not even bother igniting her lightsaber. She let him come to her, insisting that he make her draw her weapon and defend herself.

Dym attacked with ruthless savagery, but every time he swung his blade she danced or spun out of the way, she flipped and tumbled back, avoiding strikes that would have beheaded or maimed a lesser opponent.

Xen knelt in the back of the room watching the two with a look of amusement.

She had faced this test before; Avaryss had tested her with it months ago. She knew how it ended.

"STAY STILL!" Dym snarled.

"No," Avaryss said with a smirk.

"RAGHHHHH!"

The Muun lost all self-control and lunged at Avaryss, he gave himself fully to his rage, not even bothering to try and shield himself.

It was what she had been waiting for.

Avaryss caught him in a Force grip. She wrapped the Force around her apprentice's throat like an invisible garrote.

Dym began to choke, shocked by the power that his master wielded, she closed off his wind pipe so completely he dropped his sword.

Avaryss used the Force and called it to her, she watched as Dym dropped to his knees, he was struggling, trying to free himself, his fingers weren't quite clawing at his throat, but he was likely thinking about it.

Avaryss grinned.

It is over, she thought.

I win.

For a moment she feared that the Muun would not submit that he would choose death over defeat. True, they were only training, but some Sith did not know when to choose to fight another day.

If he doesn't offer me his neck, I will destroy him, she thought.

He will learn his place.

She tightened her grip even more, a strangling whistle escaped the Muun's throat; he continued to glare at her.

"You know what I want to see, apprentice," she purred.

"Live or die?"

She thought it would end right there, that he would be too stubborn.

Finally, it happened.

Dym gasped, and tilted his head, offering her his throat.

Submission she thought with a pleased smile.

Good.

She released her grip, and he fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath, coughing.

Xen smirked.

"Humiliating isn't it," she smirked.

Dym glared at her, trying to regain his breath.

Avaryss chuckled.

"You would know," she reminded the girl, "You once knelt where he is now."

She nodded, her smile never leaving her face.

Such humiliation was part of Sith training.

An apprentice needed to learn their place.

Dym had started to rise when the door to the training room hissed open. Avaryss turned with a frown, angry at the interruption.

Darth Sadi stood before her, behind her stood four Sith warriors, the enforcers that she had mentioned yesterday.

Avaryss grinned.

Wonderful, she thought, now she would get to see what she had to work with here.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting," Sadi said with a bit of a pout.

"I know how important training can be."

"It is fine," Avaryss assured her, while at the same time doubling her mental shields.

She would not see a repeat of what happened last night.

Dym and Xen both rose and went to their master's side, just in case Sadi or one of these others tried something stupid. It was unlikely, but such things were possible.

Avaryss preferred to err on the side of caution.

Why take chances?

She could feel Sadi reaching out with the Force, but this time she would find to foot hold.

Avaryss smiled beneath her helmet and mask.

She would not be so easily snared again.

Clad in a gown of dark crimson, Sadi smiled and stepped aside, motioning for the enforcers that had accompanied her to come forward.

Avaryss regarded this collection of Sith.

They were a curious quartet to be sure.

The one to the far right called himself Gnar; he was a slim Sith pure blood with dark red skin and bright golden eyes. His black hair was cut short, in what some might call a military style.

At his side walked two small Tukata, large blue beasts that were sometimes referred to as Sith Hounds. Avaryss had fought wild ones during her student years; packs of the beasts were known to hunt in the various tombs in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban.

They are his, she realized, neither moved unless he took a step first. An impressive display of power, she thought, most impressive indeed.

Gnar smiled at her.

"My lord," he said in a soft respectful voice.

She nodded back.

So far so good.

The second and third Inquisitors had a familiar look; both were human both with dark blonde hair, brothers perhaps, but the similarities ended there. The first was handsome enough she supposed, his features and cold arrogance suggested an early life of wealth a privilege, she could feel his sense of entitlement, it radiated like a beacon.

His brother was different.

Though they had similar eyes, their physical features were vastly different; this third inquisitor's body looked broken. He walked with a heavy limp, dragging his foot behind him. His left arm was smaller and twisted, curled up tight against his chest, his jaw jutted outward slightly as well.

He met Avaryss' look with a cold and challenging gaze.

"My lord," the prettier of the pair said, "Enforcers Raze and Ghull reporting for duty."

"My lord," Ghull rasped, his eyes never leaving her.

"We await your orders."

Avaryss considered the odd pair.

There is definitely a story here; she thought to herself, such difference in siblings is rarely without some tale to explain it.

She was most eager to hear it. She could feel the hate swelling in the two, especially the twisted one.

She was most eager to see what he could do.

The fourth was a female Twi'lek, a creature with neon green skin, to say she was dressed provocatively would be an understatement.

The girl made Xen's choice of wardrobe look tame.

She was clad in thigh high leather boots and a long loin cloth. A breast band like top with a single shoulder plate protected her chest, over it all she wore a zeyd cloth black poncho, which would have hid her features of she had not pushed it back like a cloak.

Her eyes were two glowing yellow orbs, suggesting someone deeply rooted in the dark side. Her right arm and head tale were tattooed with Sith Glyphs. A single Sith tattoo adorned her forehead, a pointed shape like a crown with a long black tail running from her forehead, and down the left side of her face.

She regarded Avaryss curiously.

"You're new," she said in a voice more fitting a little girl than an adult Twi'lek.

"This is lord Avaryss, Chylde," Sadi informed her.

"She will be your new master, from now on."

The tips of the Twi'lek's head tails twitched.

"So she is to be our new mother," the girl smiled warmly.

"I do hope she is a kind and generous mother."

Avaryss gave Sadi a questioning look. The other dark lord shrugged.

Clearly this one was not your typical Sith, but then again…were any of them.

Avaryss pursed her lips.

Which of these were fully in Sadi's pocket, and which ones possessed a loyalty that was more fluid.

She would need to determine both.

Avaryss stood straighter; she put all of her power into her stance and voice.

Let these know that they now stood before a Darth, one that did not need mind powers to control others.

"Kneel before your new master," she growled, "Kneel before Inquisitor Avaryss!"

As one of the four did as she commanded, Ghull did not look happy, his twisted leg made kneeling difficult.

Avaryss did not care.

"My lord," they said in unison.

Avaryss nodded, she looked at Darth Sadi who smiled.

Did the woman still think she was under her control? Someone easily manipulated?

Avaryss would show her the truth in the coming days.

She had a lesson to teach.

She would enjoy it…immensely.

IOI

Avaryss took her apprentices and left the training room. It was time for the enforcers training to begin.

She did not wish to distract them.

"So we will be working with…those," Dym said, his voice harsh and angry. Clearly he did not think much of their new allies, either that or he was angry that they had seen him vulnerable stumbling and coughing to his feet.

"We shall," Avaryss said, "For now."

Dym coughed and nodded grimly, he still seemed unhappy with the way things had gone.

Avaryss said nothing to him; she had nothing to apologize for.

The Sith Lord cared little for the Muun's discomfort. If he did not like or trust the enforcers than so much the better.

He would be useful if she needed to eliminate some of them.

He and Xen may still not be enough, she realized, who knew how powerful these Sith truly were, she wanted to make sure she had overwhelming force on her side before they engaged each other.

She still needed Necris; her first apprentice was still out there somewhere. Holli was looking for her, but so far they had heard nothing back.

With luck she will return quickly, Avaryss thought.

Necris' power would be most welcome.

She dismissed the two, sending them both off on errands. Dym was to search the financial records in the tower, looking for anything…unusual.

"How do you classify unusual, master," he asked.

"Anything that seems irregular, she responded.

The Muun laughed.

I will no doubt find more than one," he said, "politicians rarely know how to cover their tracks.

He left with a bit of spring in his step, no doubt eager to find something that he could impress her with.

Avaryss smiled.

It was not the most exciting of work, but it needed to be done. The rebellion seemed remarkably well funded; they had attacked her with military grade weapons, and decent training.

She was curious to see if anyone high up was offering help.

Xen was to spend the day in the streets and cantinas, trying to get an idea of how morale was, and just how deep rebel leanings were within the city.

"Be your charming self," Avaryss ordered her, "Make no offensive moves unless provoked, let us keep things civil for the moment, at least until we know who are enemies are,"

"It will be done, my master," Xen said bowing.

"I will bring you back something…intriguing."

Xen left without another word, pulling up the hood on her cloak to hide her features.

Avaryss grinned.

Lock up your sons, Danna City.

Xen Loor is loose among you.

With her two apprentices dealt with, and Beric hopefully speaking with the Pho ambassador, Avaryss made her way down into the section of the tower reserved for the Magistrate and his staff.

Sadi had named Hissa as a possible problem.

Avaryss was eager to learn why.

IOI

She found Errod Hissa in his office, dictating a message to his servant droid. The Magistrate still had his arm in a sling. He looked up when she entered, he did not seem surprised to see her.

She smiled.

Before he could say her name in greeting, she stopped him with a raised hand.

She gestured with the Force, touching the keypad on the Magistrate's desk. When she was done, she motioned for him to look.

A single phrase stared back at him.

Can we speak privately?

Hissa looked at her and nodded, he sent his droid away, and pulled out a small device, he turned it on, and it began to beep, beeps that quickly switched from beeps to low tones.

Avaryss hissed as a blast of static ran through the sonic bafflers in her ears.

She shook her head and regarded the man, who shrugged innocently.

A jamming signal, she realized.

It was nice to see that Hissa took no chances.

When the device had finished its cycle, he put it back in pocket and smiled.

"What can I do for you, Lord Avaryss," he said, "We can speak plainly now."

"Darth Sadi wants me to do something about you, magistrate," she informed her, "I would like to know why."

Hissa snorted and shook his head.

"Damn that woman," he said, "If you are not one of her favorites she thinks that you have no place here."

Avaryss only just kept from laughing.

Hissa would never be one of her favorites that was for sure. Not with the way he had once ogled her mother.

No, she did not like him, but that did not mean that he was not useful.

"You did something to earn her ire, I take it?"

Hissa shrugged.

"Everything that I've done I've done for the Empire. I was barely in my teens the first time I put on a uniform. I've worked my whole life to see not just my fortunes, but the fortunes of Oridanna rise."

The magistrate shook his head.

"I've done everything that your master has asked of me, everything. You could not find a more leal servant than me, and yet now he saddles me with Darth Sadi and Moff Galek continues to tie my hands in dealing with not just the rebellion, but other matters as well."

The man sneered.

"My lord I deserve so much more than this. I deserve an audience with the Dark Council, surely they must know of Oridanna's potential."

Avaryss nodded, she was pleased that not much had changed in the last few years.

Hissa was still an arrogant and overly ambitious fool.

She could make use of that.

"Speak plainly magistrate," she ordered, "How deep has Darth Sadi sunk her claws into Oridanna, is there anyone that I can trust here. Are our enforcers leal servants or just some of her pawns?'

Hissa pursed his lips and crossed his good arm over his chest.

"That is a lot of questions," he said.

"They are," she agreed.

"How do I know that this is not some kind of set up? Perhaps Sadi has put you up to this, to get me to say or do something that she can use to have me removed?"

Again Avaryss was impressed.

He is not as big of a fool as I thought. He is ambitious yes, but that might be just what saved him from Sadi's manipulation, he is looking for his glory, not the glory of others.

She could use that.

Let me talk to him, Keera said, Let me out and I can win him to your service.

Avaryss took a deep breath, and allowed it. It was a strange sensation letting go, but she had given her word.

If they were to work together, she and Keera needed to trust each other.

Keera smiled beneath her helmet.

"You have nothing to fear from me," she said in her old Oridannan accent, "We both want the same thing, a better stronger Oridanna, and the right to say that we were responsible for bringing it to pass."

Hissa's eyes widened slightly.

"You…you are one of us. You were born here?"

"Born and raised," she admitted, "Who I was before does not really matter anymore, all you need to know is that I remember a better time on Oridanna, a time when we did not have to be so…concerned about the comings and goings of the Sith Order.

She looked him straight in the eye.

"I would see those days return."

Hissa looked her up and down, as if to decide if she could be trusted.

Finally he nodded.

"You will speak to Lord Feer on my behalf then? You will tell him what his happening?"

Keera snorted at that.

"You do not need me to speak to Lord Feer, what you are looking for is a patron, a Sith who can take you beyond Oridanna.

She leaned forward, moving in closer, he took a step back, and might have taken another if she had not offered her hand.

"You do not need Feer, Magistrate. If you want a Sith patron, you have one, if you are willing to work with me."

Hissa looked down at her hand, then back up at her masked faced, she could almost hear him thinking, weighing the risks.

Finally, he decided.

"For Oridanna, and the Empire," he said taking her hand, and bringing it to his lips.

He kissed her knuckles chastely, and then dropped to one knee.

Avaryss smiled.

She had an ally.

"Indeed Magistrate," she said.

"For the Empire."